An amendment has been passed that will prevent the speed limiter mandate from progressing, at least for the time being.
Congressmen Scott Perry and Doug LaMalfa introduced the amendment to H.R.3354, a house appropriations bill. The bill is the same one that had the defeated ELD amendment attempt. The speed limiter amendment, however was given a voice vote and the “ayes” had it.
Currently, the speed limiter mandate is in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) phase. In order to become law, the FMCSA needs to issue a FINAL Notice of Proposed Rulemaking before it can go through the approvals process.
If the appropriations bill is passed, the amendment will prevent any of the funds issued by the bill from being used to advance the speed limiter mandate to the Final NPRM. So, while the amendment doesn’t strike down the speed limiter mandate entirely, it will prevent it from progressing any further, at least until a new appropriations bill is passed.
The Owner Operator Independent Driver’s Association issued a press release thanking Reps. Perry and LaMalfa “for their work on the speed limiter issue.” In the past, OOIDA has come out against mandatory speed limiters citing safety concerns.
Some in the industry, including OOIDA, have claimed that putting speed limiters on trucks would create new safety hazards for the motoring public, including truckers. The primary concern cited over and over again is that it would cause trucks to drive much slower than the cars around them, creating speed differentials that are bound to cause more accidents than having slower-moving trucks would prevent.
Source: gobytrucknews, congress, congress, ooida
Robert Walters says
I agree!If they want to slow something down then slow down the car’s because I have not seen a 4wheeler in any state obay the speed limit!!!
Truckergirl in Hope says
I hope is squahed so Canada will have to follow aĺong with the industry.
If this is squashed next is E LOGS… please!
Old man says
So what two trucking regs are going to be killed for this one being implemented? The end of trucking as we once knew it.
E. TABAKMAN says
Unless something has changed, it is not like you can drive 75 mph going across Arizona in a company truck. Some trucking companies still govern their trucks to this very day.
And this is still here say but I used to hear truckers going over 100 mph back in the day (middle of the night across I-10 in AZ/NM).
I agree limiting how fast trucks can go makes for unsafe conditions however the flip side of that is that being governed probably kept me safe as a newbie but yes when paid by the mile, you lose out big time not being able to max out where you need to especially when you get into traffic in the bigger cities. Every mile matters at that point and what ground you can cover within a day.
Probably just another reason why I just didn’t try hard enough to get back into driving. Still have my CDL to this day but nowadays just do computer work where my pay is pretty stable vs. fluctuating with those general freight companies.
Drive Safe!
Junior says
Instead of calling it a speed limiter law they should just call it the “no truck shall be allowed to pass another truck rule”. Come to Ontario and see what it’s like. Most good drivers know enough to keep a safe speed around 65 mph. But being able to speed up to 70 or so once in awhile can be really helpful. And when they raise the speed limit to 65 and 70 and some places even 80 it makes no sense to govern trucks. Big companies can do it and the drivers can’t complain because they know what they’re signed up for. But if I own the truck I’ll be damned if some prick in an office is gonna tell me what I can do with my truck.
JJ says
Having a mitigation system I see distance to vehicle in front of me in seconds and the speed it is traveling. The argument that traffic all traveling the same speed is safer has never nor will ever be. With speed limits raised on many roadways to 70 mph I constantly see steady numbers of 4 wheelers doing 75-85 mph. Trucking companies have raised their limits to 65 and 70+ mph supposedly to meet customer and driver demands. Just this morning two loaded flat bed day cabs passed me in N Chicago I 94 going 75 mph. A month ago 4 trucks in a row I 70 into Columbus Ohio doing 75 mph. You will never see traffic flowing (key word flowing) because we live in a Nascar nation of me me me mentalities where people have to go faster to feel they are winning, better than, or more important then the others around them. Ego, testosterone, pride, who knows. I can hardly wait for winter this year to see the pile ups with 70 mph big trucks who don’t have the sense to back off or slow down.
The speed limiter argument is just that, another argument. You will never have traffic flowing at the same speed. There will always be faster and slower vehicles for multiple reasons. It’s not a black or white world out there, but alot of black or white thinkers. Be safe.
EYEMPOOR says
well well well its time to hack the ELD o yes it can be done tech has come a long way for every action their is a counter action! ! ! yea buddy
EZ LIVIN says
They don’t need them now, they have eld that opens the door for all kinds of new regulations to come, like allowing states and local governments to use that info gathered to issue citations since will know exactly where you were and how fast you were going or when the insurance companies start demanding to be linked into your eld to determine rates, I’m sure they have things in mind we can’t even imagine maybe when the EPA gets linked in, no its over ELD is all they needed and really its all they wanted. Speed limiter was a distraction, so when they let it go down we thought we got a victory.
Leon M Biddy Jr says
There should be one speed limit period. Every one that holds a drivers licenses. Everyone should have the same training so everyone knows how their equipment responds in different situation. If a person doesn’t know how heavy equipment works such as the braking system and the weight displacement of a semi then when they make a driver era they understand that a semi doesn’t have the same response time that a car does. Everyone should have to go threw a very serious trading course before they get a drivers license. Every time they renew the license they should have to repeat the course. Driving is a privalage not a given.
Jon says
I saw a sign that read “Speed Kills”.
But could not see all the dead at the bottom of the hill.
Funny how that seems to work.